Alicia Silverstone Joins the Fight for Safe Cosmetics

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Actress, animal-rights activist and celebrity veganAlicia Silverstone is pushing for safe cosmetics and body products — for both humans and animals.

Following in the steps of fellow activist Kristin Bauer van Straten, Silverstone recently wrote a letter to John Dalli, European Union Commisioner for Health and and Consumer Policy, asking him to uphold a ban that will make it illegal to sell cosmetics tested on animals, saying that, “This ban was put in place to advance and modernize the cosmetics testing and keeping it in place is crucial.”

Legislation for the ban, which is set to take effect in 2013, is already in place, but there are concerns that the ban might be delayed.

Not if Silverstone gets her way. In her letter, the new mom emphasized the importance of animal-free products for both adults and children, writing, “We need modern cosmetics and chemical test methods that can assess how products will affect the human body. Testing these products on animals is inherently cruel — and it is not a good predictor of how chemicals affect humans.”

She continues, “The modern, nonanimal chemical test methods in development are amazing. They are faster, cheaper, and more effective than testing on rabbits and rats — and they’re cruelty free. Some of them can even determine how a chemical will affect specific human populations like infants.”

Silverstone and Bauer van Straten are not the only ones voicing their opinion on the matter. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine wants you to get involved by emailing Dalli and urging the EU to uphold the ban.